Living on Borrowed Time

Luke chapter number 13, Luke chapter number 13, if you're able to stand for the reading of God's word, I ask that you would.

Luke chapter number 13, what a beautiful song, what a reminder.

It goes right along with the message this morning.

I'm going to preach a message entitled this, Living on Borrowed Time.

Living on Borrowed Time.

And I'm enjoying this study through the Gospel of Luke.

I hope it's been a help to you.

And Jesus is, really this is kind of the conclusion of the sermon Jesus has been preaching since the start of chapter number 12.

And really the entire theme of this sermon is this, be ready.

Because the Lord is coming back.

I love that song, it is well, I think we could sing it every Sunday and I still wouldn't tire of it.

But I love that last verse that He's coming back.

And so since He's coming back, here's what we need to be doing.

We need to be ready.

And that's what Jesus wants us to know.

He wants us to understand that truth.

Whether we know Him as our Lord and Savior, we still need to be ready.

And if we don't know the Lord as our Savior, we need to make sure that we are ready.

And Jesus shows us exactly how to do that.

So we're going to read the first nine verses here in Luke chapter number 13.

Have a word of prayer and then jump right in.

The Bible says this,

They were present at that season some that told Him of the Galileans,

whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

And Jesus answering said unto them,

Suppose ye, these Galileans, were sinners above all the Galileans,

because they suffered such things?

I tell you, nay.

But except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Or those eighteen upon whom the Tower of Siloam fell and slew them,

think ye they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?

I tell you, nay.

But except ye repent, ye shall likewise perish.

I just want to throw this in here.

You notice Jesus said the same thing twice.

It's kind of like when your mom repeats something twice.

You probably should pay attention.

So Jesus, when He says things back to back like this,

He wants us to understand this truth.

And so to understand the truth, He illustrates this by giving a parable in verse 6.

And He spake also this parable.

A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard,

and he came and sought fruit thereon and found none.

Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard,

Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this tree,

and find none.

Cut it down.

Why cumbereth it the ground?

And he answering said unto him,

Lord, let it alone this year also till I dig about it and dung it.

And if it bear fruit, well.

And if not, then after that shall cut it down.

Jesus, it seems kind of, the illustration here at the beginning,

it seems like what in the world is He talking about?

But He's really giving us this idea that we have this illusion,

we have all this time.

But He gives two specific tragedies,

because that morning, they didn't think those things were going to happen to them.

But they did.

And Jesus is saying, listen, we don't know how much time we have.

Every breath is borrowed.

We're living on this borrowed time.

So how do we move forward?

How do we prepare our lives?

And that's what He's going to show us here this morning.

So let's go ahead and ask Him to help us.

Father, thank You for this time together.

Lord, thank You for Your Word that we can open it up.

And Lord, I know there's been a lot of things going on in a lot of lives this week.

We're busy.

We have a busy week coming up.

But Lord, I pray You would help us just to slow down.

Lord, help us to do some evaluation,

take some inventory on how we're spending our time.

Lord, are we living a life that is ready for You to come back?

Are we on mission for You?

Lord, I pray that You would just use this text,

You would use Your Word today to speak to our hearts,

to challenge us, to convict us,

to encourage us where need be.

Lord, I do pray that if there is somebody here today

that does not know You as their Savior,

Lord, they're not trusting in other things.

They must trust in You, Lord,

that today would be that day.

Lord, I pray You would be with me now.

You would empty me of self.

You would cleanse me of sin.

You would fill me with Your Spirit.

Lord, I want to be a help to Your people this morning

as You've been a help to me even studying this text.

Lord, I pray You would receive all the honor and glory

that's due Your name.

We ask it in Christ's name.

Amen.

Thank you so much for standing.

You may be seated.

I think I already know the answer to this question

because we were a slow-arriving crowd this morning.

But I'm going to ask anyways,

how many of you hit the snooze button this morning?

I feel like we are liars in here.

Like, not me.

How many of you just, okay,

how many of you even set an alarm?

Yeah, there you go.

Man, you're living by faith, man.

That's next-level stuff right there.

I appreciate that.

But for those that raised your hand

and those that were afraid to raise your hand

but still hit the snooze button,

I mean, if you're like me,

the alarm went off

and your first thought was either,

ugh,

and then it was followed by

just a few more minutes.

And we all know how that goes.

Five minutes turns to ten minutes.

Ten minutes turns to fifteen,

and before you know it,

you're running around like a chicken

with your head cut off.

You're yelling at the kids to get in the car.

You're frustrated by everything.

Every single light was red,

and if you live on the wrong side of the tracks,

you are stopped by the Gainesville train

that is ever faithful to be there

when you're running late.

I mean, that's how I think.

I'm like,

do I have time to go down California

or do I have to drive all the way to 82

just in case the train comes?

You know,

and I see people like that,

and I've been there too,

and they're mad at the lights,

and I tell them,

I can't believe all these lights,

and you know,

the reality is if you just got up on time

and left a little bit earlier,

you'd be okay.

But it's one of those things,

and we've all been there,

and honestly,

the snooze button was okay

when it comes to your morning alarm,

but the problem is,

is it's not just something we do

with an alarm clock.

I think we do it in our life often,

whether it's spiritual things

or just everyday life.

It's not that we're saying no to certain things.

We're just saying,

now's not a great time.

Hey, a couple more days.

Next week,

when it slows down,

and I think we're all guilty of assuming

we have more time than we do.

We think things like this.

I'll get to it later.

I'll deal with that tomorrow.

Some of us have been dealing with saying that

for weeks now.

I'll deal with that tomorrow,

and you know,

we just kind of want to keep pushing it down the road.

We say things like,

I got plenty of time.

You know,

and I was like that in school.

I got plenty of time to finish this project.

You know,

I just figured this.

I work better under pressure,

so I'm just going to wait

until like the last minute,

then it's going to really help me focus.

But the problem is,

is we think we have all this time,

and then suddenly,

we don't.

That things that's been on the calendar for months,

that deadline at work,

it just seems to have snuck up on you.

That bill that you were going to pay,

guess what?

You forgot to pay it.

This is your friendly reminder.

Check your bills.

Pay them.

A conversation you may have wished you would have had

before it was too late.

But here's what's even more serious,

is that we don't just do it with everyday things.

I think if we're honest,

sometimes we do it with spiritual things.

We do it with eternal things.

We assume that we have more time to get right with God.

We think to ourselves,

the Lord knows I love Him,

but I'll just deal with this later.

Maybe you're at a stage in your life,

maybe young people think,

I'll get more serious when I get a little bit older.

I'll get more serious when this happens,

and one day I'll really go all in for God.

Listen, it doesn't matter if you're a teenager,

or you're the oldest person in your room,

today's the day to go all in.

That's what Jesus calls.

That's the life that He calls us to live,

and Jesus is confronting that exact mindset

here in Luke chapter number 13.

And we read those first five verses,

and we think, man,

what did these two tragedies some 2,000 years ago

have to do with us here at Central Baptist Church in 2026?

Because really it has nothing to do with these tragedies.

What Jesus is really trying to pull out

and to put into our lives

is that we need to live our life with some urgency.

We need to be urgent about the things of God.

It's time to be serious about dealing with repentance,

about dealing with things in our life

that are there that should not be.

It reminds us of this simple reality.

We are living on borrowed time.

See, you don't control,

if we're going to kind of think of an idea here,

we don't control how much time we have.

But what we can control

is what we do with the time that we have.

That's what Jesus wants us to understand.

He wants us to be a people that live with urgency.

So the question naturally becomes,

how should we live knowing that we're on borrowed time?

Because I think we understand that.

We understand the reality of that.

Here in the text,

Jesus is going to give us three powerful reminders

reminders about life and about time and about eternity.

And the first thing that we see here is this.

Number one,

that tragedy is a warning,

not a measure.

Tragedy is a warning,

not a measure.

Verse number one,

they were present at the season,

some that told him of the Galileans

whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

Now, maybe to us,

we're thinking,

okay,

I'm not really sure what that means.

But you got to realize that the Bible,

they would understand that.

This would be like,

this would be a major event in their history.

This was something that didn't happen that long ago.

Pilate is still alive.

He is still in rule at this time.

And this was shocking.

I mean,

it would be like if we said,

you remember 9-11?

I mean,

many of us in this room,

we would instantly know exactly what it was.

And there's opinions about it.

And there's all kinds of situations about it.

But that was kind of the situation here.

Now,

we don't know all the details,

but more than likely,

this atrocity took place during Passover.

It would have been the only time

that these ordinary worshipers,

these Galileans,

would have been allowed

kind of into the temple grounds area.

They would have traveled in for Passover.

We see that throughout the Gospels.

And they would have been there

and they would have been directly involved.

They would have purchased a lamb

or a turtle doves,

depending on their financial state.

And they would have been in that opportunity.

And see,

these Galileans,

they had simply come to worship the Lord.

Now,

some historians say that

they were using some of this opportunity

to protest against Pilate,

to protest against the Romans.

We've seen that.

Israel did not like the fact

that Rome was in charge

and they kind of had their hands

in some of the religious ceremonies.

But we don't know what the details were,

but Pilate decided,

you know what,

we're just going to kill them right here.

And so,

he had his officers,

his police,

his soldiers,

they would have killed them

right there in the temple grounds.

I mean,

we see things,

we see tragedies like this

even in our culture.

People have come in

and shot at churches

and different things like that.

That's kind of what this was.

That they were there just worshiping.

They were there just serving the Lord

and it was disturbing

and it was violent

and it was unforgettable.

Everybody in town knew about it

and it was the talk of the town.

So,

Jesus is preaching this sermon.

If your Bible has red letters,

I mean,

he's talking

and somebody's just in the middle of the sermon,

hey,

did you hear about this?

What do you have to say about this,

Jesus?

You know,

it kind of seems as an interruption.

And here's the issue.

The assumption in the crowd was this.

Those people must have done something

to deserve that.

That was the way that they thought.

And I just want to remind you,

this is not really new thinking.

If you know your Old Testament,

there was a man named Job.

Job was a very rich man.

He was a very powerful man.

He had pretty much everything he ever needed.

He had houses and lands.

I mean,

he was probably the most wealthy man

on the face of the earth.

And yet,

God allowed Satan to come

and to touch those things

and he lost all those things.

And then Job had some really awesome,

solid friends show up.

And if you've read the book of Job,

you know I'm being completely sarcastic.

But I mean,

I kind of understand

where Job's friends were coming from.

Because I mean,

Job seemed to have everything

and then like in a moment,

everything was gone

and they're there

and they kind of feel bad for him

and they're kind of,

they don't know what to say.

They're like,

let's just sit here for a minute.

Then they decide,

you know what?

Job,

you're a bad dude.

I mean,

we've thought about it.

We've prayed about it.

And only bad things happen

to bad people.

And that was kind of their mindset.

That Job's suffering

was because he was

an awful,

wicked sinner

who was just really good

at hiding it.

That was their mindset.

And really,

it's been that way

for a long time.

You go to John chapter 9.

John 9 · chapter mention

The disciples,

the apostles of Jesus,

they're there

and this blind man

comes in

and here's what

the disciples ask.

Why was this man,

who sinned

that this man

was born blind?

Was it his parents

or was it him?

Because when they looked

at somebody that was maimed

or somebody that had

a deformity like that,

the only option

for that

was they were sinners.

That was the only option.

And before we judge

the Job's friends

and before we judge

the disciples,

I submit to you

that sometimes

that mindset,

it runs deep

in our human nature.

And honestly,

here's why it does.

It's an attractive way

to think

because it's neat

and it's clean

and it's self-satisfying

because we can look

at a situation

and we can think

because if tragedy

only happens

to bad people,

I must be a good person then.

That's kind of

what we think.

That's kind of

how our mind works.

In other words,

here's what they're saying.

They didn't have

a legitimate question.

They're saying,

come on, Jesus,

just tell us

they did wrong

so we feel better

about ourselves.

That's what's

taking place here.

That's kind of

the mindset.

But Jesus,

He's just like

my parents were.

He just kind of

ignored it

and just went on.

He just kind of

He's not there

to play their game

and in fact,

He brings up

another tragedy.

Verse number 14,

verse number 4,

excuse me,

or those 18

upon whom

the Tower of Siloam

fell and slew them.

Think ye

they were sinners

above all men

that dwelt in Jerusalem?

See,

many believe

this Tower of Siloam

would have stood

near the wall

of Jerusalem.

Maybe when you read

the Bible

you heard of the

Pool of Siloam.

This would have been

maybe what many

historians believe

is they were building

one of the aqueducts

to bring water in

to have a better

water source

and what happens

during this construction

is it collapses

and it kills

18 people.

It was an absolute

tragedy

and here's why

that matters.

Here's why Jesus

is bringing it up

because the Galileans

were kind of

looked down upon.

They were Jews

but they were just

Jews from the

wrong side of the tracks.

They were kind of

the backwoods Jews.

They were the

redneck Jews.

They weren't

sophisticated

Jerusalem Jews.

So what they had

going on for them

is when they

looked at them

well the Galileans

you know what

they probably

had that coming.

If they would

just learn

to keep their

mouth shut

if they would

just learn

to not mess

with Pilate

they probably

wouldn't have

had that happen.

But Jesus

brings up a

situation

that nobody

could say that

about.

This was

random

it was unexpected

there was no

explanation

it was an

accident.

In Jesus

he uses

both examples

to drive

home the

same point.

He says

there in

verse number

two

suppose ye

these Galileans

were sinners

above all

the Galileans

because they

suffered such

things and the

crowd's thinking

absolutely we

do.

That's a hundred

percent what we

think because that

is what they

thought.

He says in

verse number

five verse

number four

think ye

that they were

sinners above all

that dwelt in

Jerusalem.

And Jesus

gives the same

answer to both.

He says I

tell you I

tell you this

no.

He said you're

thinking about

this wrong.

You're assuming

the wrong

things.

Now before we

move on I

don't want us

to misunderstand

this.

Jesus is not

saying that

sin never

brings

consequences.

Sin does

bring consequences.

We got to be

careful because our

sin will find us

out.

That everything

we do is not

hid from the

Lord.

But that's not

the point of

this text.

Here's what he's

doing.

He's rejecting

the idea that

all tragedy is

the result of

us being

sinners.

That's what he's

saying.

Because that's

how they

thought.

They thought

well as long

as I'm good

and as long

as nothing

happens to me

then I must

be living

okay.

My life is

good.

My life is

right before

the Lord.

But that's

not the

he's not

he doesn't

want us to

miss this.

His message is

found in

verse 3

and verse 5

he says

this

but except

ye repent

ye shall

all likewise

perish.

Here's what

Jesus is

doing.

He's not

comparing

sinners.

Galileans

versus

Jerusalem

people.

You know

higher society

versus regular

people.

That's not

what he's

doing.

No here's

what he's

doing.

He's leveling

the ground.

He wants

us all to

understand this

they were

all sinners.

That we

all fall

short of

the glory

of God.

That we're

all guilty.

That we

all deserve

death.

You think

well I

don't know

if I

like that

message.

It's the

message.

But God

so loved

the world

that he

gave his

only begotten

son.

The wages

of sin

is death

but the

gift of

God is

eternal

life.

Listen

tragedy

is not

proof of

greater

guilt.

It's

just a

reminder

that judgment

is coming

one day.

I think

we mentioned

last week

it's appointed

a man

once to

die

and after

this the

judgment.

He's just

saying listen

sometimes life

has tragedies.

Sometimes there's

unexplainable

things as this

tower falling

or pilot

kind of

going off

the rails.

But instead

of asking

about it

instead of

thinking about it

every time we

hear about a

tragedy

an accident

a sudden

death

an unexpected

loss

sometimes we

try to

explain it

away.

We try to

figure out

the issues

of it

instead of

saying why

did this

happen to

them

we need

to look

at a text

like that

and say

what does

this mean

for me?

How can

I apply

this to

my life?

Because the

truth is that

you're not

guaranteed

tomorrow

either.

I mean

it's not a

popular thing

to think

about but

it is the

reality.

I would

imagine all

of us in

this room

know somebody

or know

something very

close where

some tragic

accident

happened.

And it

was just

they were

here and

they were

gone.

And we

know that

true but

if we're

honest we

think well

that will

never happen

to me

until it

does.

And Jesus

wants us to

be mindful

of that.

Listen to

this.

The real

question is

not why

do bad

things happen

to good

people?

I'm sure

you've heard

that all

the time.

Why do

bad things

happen to

good people?

No I

think here's

a better

question.

Why do

good things

happen to

bad people?

Because that's

all of us.

God loves

us.

I don't

know.

I think it

means God

loves us.

That God is

merciful and

that he's

gracious and

that's the

answer.

Why do good

things happen to

bad people?

Because he's

gracious and he's

merciful and he's

patient with us.

And the reason that

matters so much in

our life is

sometimes we're

carrying things that

we are not intended

to carry.

we're carrying

guilt and for

things that you

didn't cause.

Sometimes a tragedy

happens and you

know what?

We can't get

past it.

Sometimes parents

live in blame

their whole life

because their

child decided to

make a choice and

is living a

prodigal style

life.

Families carry

burdens they were

never meant to

carry.

But Jesus is

showing us here in

this text that

not all tragedy

is a result of

our sin.

That death

happens.

Tragedies come to

all and sometimes

the unthinkable

even comes to the

most faithful

people.

Which means the

issue is not

why them.

The issue is this.

Are you ready?

That's what Jesus

is driving home.

Because when these

men went to build

the Tower of

Siloam, they

didn't think when

they got up that

morning that was

the last morning

they were going

to get up.

Nobody thinks

that.

We see accents

all the time on

the highway.

Nobody gets up

and thinks that's

going to be me

today.

I mean we just

live life like we

just have unlimited

time.

No, it's borrowed.

We don't know how

much time that we

have.

But why does Jesus

dig so deep in on

this idea?

We've been talking

about repentance for

it seems weeks now.

I think he does it

because of this.

Number two, life is

limited so repentance

is urgent.

Life is limited so

repentance is urgent.

Notice what he said

again in verse 3.

But except ye

repent, ye shall

all likewise perish.

This word except it

means unless this

happens, nothing else

matters.

That's what he's

bringing us to the

point.

I mean you can live

your life and do all

of these things but

except ye repent, it

doesn't matter what

you did.

This is the most

important decision that

you will ever make.

Here's what Jesus is

saying.

Repentance is not

optional.

It's not when you get

around to it and you

feel like it's a good

idea and if it fits in

your schedule and it

kind of molds around

your lifestyle.

No, it's absolutely

necessary.

But notice what Jesus

doesn't say.

He doesn't say all you

need to do is just try a

little bit harder.

He doesn't say you know

what you need to do?

You just need to be a

better person.

You know sometimes you

ever wake up and say

man today I'm just going

to be a better person

and then you get in

your car and you start

yelling at people.

At least they don't

know.

You know that's just

between, isn't it super

hard just to be a better

person sometimes?

Because even sometimes

on the outside you're

trying to be a better

person, on the inside

you're like I want to

punch these people in

their face.

So if I'm looking at

you weird when you're

talking to me you just

think he probably wants

to punch me in my face.

I'm just trying to be

real.

If us getting to

heaven was based on

being a better person

I'm not sure any of us

would make it.

Jesus doesn't say hey

here's what I need you

to do.

Here's how you get to

heaven.

Clean up your life.

Well I got to clean my

life up a little bit

before I come to Jesus

before I come to church.

No, no.

Here's what you got to

do.

Repent.

You got to realize that

you're a sinner and God

loves you and he saved

you.

That's where it starts.

He never says clean

yourself up.

He says come unto me.

That's the goal.

That's the aim.

So here's the question.

We talked a lot about it

but what is repentance?

I just want to dig in

real quick so we make

sure we understand.

Because I think repentance

is often misunderstood.

Sometimes people think

repentance is just

emotion.

It's crying and it's

feeling bad.

Listen, sometimes that

is that way.

But you know what?

Sometimes I cried and I

was sad when I got caught

growing up just because I

got caught.

I wasn't really

repentant.

I was just like my dad's

going to kill me and I'm

probably going to die.

I might as well cry about

it.

But sometimes that's how we

treat repentance.

We know it's wrong but we

actually enjoy it.

We just want to say I'm

sorry so we can just move

on past it.

Sometimes people view

repentance as a ritual.

It's something you go

through.

It's something you do.

That's not what repentance

is.

Repentance, true repentance,

true biblical repentance

when Jesus says except you

repent, here's what it

means.

It means you change your

mind about your sin.

That's the first step.

You change your mind about

your sin and then number

two, you turn from your

sin to Jesus.

Basically you're going down

life, living life like

this, you realize that

you're a sinner that you

sinned against God and you

want to go towards him.

That's what repentance is.

It's turning from your sin,

not just stop sinning,

but stop sinning and turn

towards Christ.

That's the goal.

That's the aim.

And here's the reminder.

It's not a temporary change

or a quick fix.

You know what?

I mean, we'll give an

example.

How many of you have

ever been to the dentist?

Yeah, we got some dental

hygienists in here and stuff.

You know how good I brush my

teeth the week I'm going to

the dentist?

Like I'm supposed to.

And then when, you know

how much I, you know when I

floss the day before?

Because they're going to

say, do you floss them?

I'm like, absolutely I floss.

Don't listen to that, Miss

Jordan.

Because she asked me that.

I'm like, is that not how

we operate?

Yeah.

But that's sometimes how we

view repentance.

We do something, we feel like,

man, I need to get ahead of

this before this train comes

down the track and the Lord

just smashes me.

Listen, God's not trying to do

that.

That's not what he's, that's

not the goal.

He's not up here to make our

life miserable.

You know why he wants us to

live in a state of repentance?

So we can have a relationship

with him.

Because he loves us and he

cares for us and he wants the

best for us.

He's giving all of his thoughts

towards us and sometimes we're

just not going that way.

See, it's not a quick fix.

It's not a temporary change.

It's a change of mind that leads

to a change of life.

And it affects how you think and

how you live.

Not one day, not one week, but for

the rest of your life.

Does that mean we're perfect?

No.

No, we can, we can know that

we're saved.

We can know we're on the way to

heaven and we can have repented

of our sins one time.

Salvation is a one time thing.

Let's just make sure we

understand that.

You don't have to get saved over

and over again, but we still

sin and we have to repent and

ask the Lord for forgiveness.

First John 1, 9, if we repent of

our sins, he is faithful and just

to forgive us.

It's about fellowship with God.

That's what it's about.

You say, well, preacher, why

should I repent?

Because Jesus shows us in these

verses, it's because judgment is

certain.

He says, except ye repent, notice

what he said, ye shall all

likewise perish.

Not might, not maybe, we will.

That's the reality of it.

We don't like to talk about it, but

every person will face death and

after that, they'll face God.

But here's the beautiful thing.

If you know Christ is your

Savior, you don't have to fear

that.

I'm ready to see the Lord face to

face.

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.

I want to see my Savior.

I want to be there.

I don't want to have to deal with

sin anymore.

I want to live in a place of a

perfect relationship with Jesus

Christ.

And Jesus knows this.

He knows that death is coming.

He knows judgment is certain.

And he's telling us this because

he loves us.

This is not a, oh man, the

preacher's mad and Jesus is mad.

I'm thankful Jesus tells us the

truth.

That we don't live through life

thinking we're all good.

And then judgment comes and we

think, wish somebody would have

told me about this.

You ever had one of those things

at work?

You think, I wish somebody had

told me about this.

I'm completely unprepared.

I look silly up here.

Listen, that's not how Jesus

operates.

And he's confronting this, this

illusion of time that we think

that we have.

In fact, he's just lovingly

reminding us, time is no, we have

no guarantee of it.

And we have no guarantee that we

have more time later.

So what he's saying is, is we must

make sure we are right with him

right now.

That we, we don't leave these,

this, this auditorium this morning

thinking, I'll deal with that later.

See, the greatest tragedy is not

how you die.

That's what the Jews thought.

Like, I can't believe they got

slaughtered in the temple.

I can't believe, man, they got to

be really bad if a tower fell on

them.

I mean, I mean, towers just don't

fall on people unless you're bad

people.

That's what they were thinking.

Jesus says, no, actually the worst

way to die is without repentance.

That's where you don't want to find

yourself.

Like, a tower's not great.

But a repent, without repentance,

has eternal consequences.

And that's what Jesus is teaching.

And before we move on, I just want

to, I want to make it real in our

lives real quick and just ask

yourself, is there something God has

shown you that you've been putting

off?

Maybe there's a sin in your life.

And he says, get rid of that.

Stop doing that.

And we keep saying, well, it's not

that bad.

I'll deal with it later.

Like, you know, I'll deal with it.

And then it, Lord, just let me be.

Maybe it's a step of obedience that

we're delaying.

He's calling you out to do

something.

Maybe to take a stand at school and

share the gospel with your friends,

to take a stand at work.

Listen, peer pressure is not just only

for teenagers.

Sometimes we're not willing to do what

we should at work because we're

afraid.

Maybe God is leading us to that step

of obedience.

Maybe it's just, maybe you're coming

to this realization, I've never

really repented of my sins.

You just need to trust Christ today

for salvation.

Listen, if you keep saying later,

later becomes into not at all, and

the urgency fades, and you find

yourself maybe one day thinking,

it's too late.

So what are you putting off

spiritually right now?

Because whatever it is, I think this,

it's probably more urgent than you

think it is.

Because we don't know how much time

we have.

It's borrowed time.

So life is limited.

Repentance is urgent.

So why hasn't judgment come?

That's what the world says.

Well, where is he?

You always talk about Jesus coming

back.

Where is he?

Well, I love this third point.

God is patient, but time is running

out.

Peter tells us in the book of 1 Peter

that God is not slack concerning his

promises, as some men count slackness.

He's not lazy, but he's rather that all

should come to repentance.

No, God is patient.

And to close out his sermon, Jesus uses

a parable to illustrate this truth.

He introduces us to a man that planted

a fig tree in his vineyard, and he came

looking for fruit, and he found none.

And I think we would understand the

frustration there.

Some of you want to be gardeners.

And you go out to your garden, you're

thinking, why is nothing growing?

All I grow is leaves.

It's just green all the time.

And you know what?

And you think, you know what I'm going

to do?

I'm going to tear this up and throw it

away and plant something new.

That makes sense.

You spent money.

You cultivate the ground.

You fertilize it.

You do all of these things.

Why?

Because the idea is it bears fruit.

That is the goal.

And this tree that we're introduced to

in verse number six had everything it

needed to bear fruit.

It had been planted.

It had been cared for.

It had been watered over and over and

over.

It had been fertilized for years and

absolutely nothing.

What a one-time thing.

Because some people have the idea that

God is just going to, he gave you one

chance and then you're done.

No, three years.

That's what the Bible says in verse

number seven.

Then he said he unto the dresser of

the vineyard, behold, these three years

I come of this fig tree and find none.

There was no growth, no fruit, no change.

Notice what he says at the end of the

verse.

He said, cut it down.

Why cumbereth it the ground?

He said, why is this tree taking up all

this space in my vineyard and not doing

its one job producing fruit?

That's what he's saying.

And if we're looking at this strictly

from a farming perspective, from a

vineyard dresser, that is a perfectly

reasonable suggestion.

Cut it down.

It's not worth anything.

They're reasonable.

The tree was planted in good soil.

It was given space.

It was given sunlight.

It's drawing nutrients from the ground

and it's producing nothing.

It was using resources without

fulfilling its purpose.

And the guys, the vineyard dresser

says this, the owner says, it must go.

But I love verse number eight.

And he answering said unto him, Lord,

let it alone this year also till I shall

dig about it and dung it.

The caretaker speaks up.

Let's just give it, let's give it one

more year.

Look, I'm going to put some extra work

in it here.

I'm going to put some people around

this tree that really know what

they're doing.

I'm going to call a tree specialist.

I'm going to come and have the soil

tested and I'm going to dig around

it.

I'm going to make sure it's got

everything that it needs.

I'm going to fertilize it.

Let's just give it a little more

time.

You know what that is?

Astonishing mercy.

That's what that is.

See, don't miss this.

The owner represents the justice of

God.

God is just.

And he will exact justice.

Perfect justice.

Everything he does is perfect.

But the caretaker, it represents the

mercy of Jesus Christ.

Because God says, hey, this tree is not

doing anything.

Let's get rid of it.

And Jesus says, let's just give it a

little more time.

Let me just, I'm going to send some

people in his life and they're going

to love on him and they're going to

share the gospel.

Let's just give him a little more time.

See, justice says, cut it down.

And mercy says, give it more time.

See, the Lord is merciful to give us

time to respond.

How does God work in that time?

He digs around the roots.

He fertilizes.

He brings the word into your life.

Maybe he's brought people into your

life.

You know what they're doing?

They're just loving you.

They're sharing the gospel.

He sends the spirit to stir your

heart.

Maybe it's right now the Holy Spirit

saying, that's exactly what you need.

And he reminds you of sin, not to make

you feel terrible, but to realize

there's a debt to be paid.

But here's the great news.

He already paid the debt.

And he presses that conviction on your

soul.

And moment after moment, month after

month, God is working to produce fruit

in your life.

He loves you.

He cares for you.

But here's the reality.

There is a time limit.

Verse 9.

And if it bear fruit, we're good to go.

But notice what he says.

And if not, then after that, thou shalt cut

it down.

He's not being mean here.

He's just speaking to the reality that at

some point time will run out.

Some people live a few years.

Some people live 100 years.

But the opportunity is not going to last

forever.

See, God's patience.

Get a hold of this.

God's patience is not permission to keep

hitting the snooze button.

Whether it's salvation, whether it's

obedience, whether it's service.

It's not a good time right now.

I'm busy.

I got kids at home.

And when I get out and we just keep it

and snooze.

Keep it and snooze.

No, here's what God's patience is.

It's an opportunity to repent.

That's what it is.

But what can we take home with us?

I think we can take this.

That every day that you wake up,

every breath that you take,

every moment that you have,

here's what it is.

Borrowed time.

That's what it is.

Everybody in this room, we're living on

borrowed time.

So ask yourself,

am I bearing fruit?

Or am I just taking up space?

Am I growing spiritually?

Or am I just coasting?

Am I responding to God?

Or ignoring Him?

Snoozing Him?

Listen, do not waste the borrowed time

that God is giving you to respond.

The time is now.

We don't know the rest of this day.

We know this.

We have this time right here.

Would the Lord help us to respond

however He spoke to our hearts?

With our heads bowed and our eyes closed,

why don't we stand

and get ready for this time of invitation?

If you're here, you say,

Preacher, I know the Lord is my Savior.

I put my faith and trust

in what Jesus Christ did on the cross of Calvary.

Let me ask you this.

Is your life bearing fruit?

That's what Jesus intends for us to do.

Bearing fruit looks like

living a Christ-like life.

Loving God.

Loving others.

Sharing the gospel.

Leading your children

and the nurture and the admonition of the Lord.

Being a witness wherever God places you.

He's not calling you to be perfect,

but He is calling you to make a difference.

People can see the fruit of your life.

They can see your good works

and want some of that.

And glorify your Father which is in heaven.

That's the goal,

that we're to let our light so shine.

He's not looking for perfection,

but He is looking for progress.

Is your life changed

and continuing to change?

That's a sign that you

are in the family.

That God is working.

Because real repentance

produces real fruit.

Maybe you're here and you

try to turn over a new leaf.

You're trying to be a good person.

You're trying to do the right thing.

Listen, there's nothing wrong with that.

But the most important decision

you'll ever make is

do you know Jesus Christ

as your Savior?

Because the only reason you're here,

the only reason I'm here

is the mercy of God.

And the only reason you still have time

is the grace of God.

But do not presume on that grace.

God is looking for fruit.

And here's the beautiful thing.

Jesus made a way.

That's what the cross of Calvary is about.

We're all sinners.

But we must all come to that realization

that it was my sin

that put Him on that cross.

That that should have been my cross.

And He died the death

that I should have died.

And He paid a debt

that I should have paid.

And He was buried

and He rose again

so that I might have life

and I might have it eternally.

I might have a purpose

in my life here today.

Don't put it off any longer.

You may not feel comfortable

coming down here

at this invitation time.

Nobody's going to be looking around.

Brother Garrett's down here.

My wife's down here.

I'm down here.

I'd love to show you

from the Word of God.

After church, you say,

Preacher, I've got some questions about that.

I'll sit down with you.

Let's talk about it.

Because that is the most important thing

that you can ever do

is trust Jesus Christ as your Savior.

Whether you know Him or you don't,

don't assume you have more time.

Don't delay what God is doing in your heart.

Come today.

Father, thank You for this time.